How to sell digital art

When someone buys a piece of digital art, they get a file rather than a print in the mail. It might be a printable illustration, a phone wallpaper, a sheet of PNG stickers or a pack of drawings they can use in their own designs.

For the person selling it, the questions are much the same as for any digital product you sell online: where to list it, how buyers get their files and how much of each sale you keep. Selling art also raises questions about what buyers can do with your work and how marketplaces treat art made with AI.

This guide compares Etsy, ArtStation, Gumroad and Payhip, print on demand and your own checkout, including the rules for AI art, how licenses work and the costs of each option.

Quick answer: You can sell digital art as files on Etsy, on an art marketplace such as ArtStation, through Gumroad or Payhip, or from your own checkout with a tool like Checkout Page. If you'd rather sell your art on physical products, print-on-demand sites such as Redbubble print and ship each order for you and pay you a markup. AI-assisted art is allowed on Etsy as long as the listing says AI was used.

Where to sell digital art

Digital art can be sold as a download, printed on products or both. The best place to sell it depends on whether buyers already know your work, whether you want to sell files or physical items and how much of each sale you want to keep.

• Etsy: has its own shoppers searching for art, so buyers can find your listing there. You upload the files to a digital listing, and Etsy charges a listing fee and a fee on each sale.
• ArtStation: a portfolio site for artists with a marketplace for digital products such as brushes, tutorials and art packs. Its fees depend on whether you have an ArtStation Pro account.
• Gumroad and Payhip: give you a product page and deliver the files after payment, for a percentage of each sale. Gumroad Discover, Gumroad's marketplace, can bring in some buyers; otherwise, you bring people to your page yourself.
• Print on demand: sites such as Redbubble print your art on products like T-shirts, stickers and posters when someone orders, then ship them. You earn a markup rather than the sale price.

Alternatively, you can sell from your own checkout page and share it in your newsletter, on your website or through the link in your social media bio. You set your prices and licenses, and you keep the buyer's email address.

With Checkout Page, buyers get their files automatically after paying, and the money goes directly into your own Stripe account.

Selling digital art on Etsy

Etsy allows digital downloads that are "Original content created by the seller". It doesn't allow "A bundle, collection, scan, or PDF of someone else's work", so the art needs to be yours.

Each digital listing can hold up to five files of 20MB each, in formats including PDF, PNG, JPG and ZIP. High-resolution art can go over that limit, so it's worth checking your file sizes before you list.

Etsy charges $0.20 to list each item and 6.5% of the sale price when it sells, with payment processing through Etsy Payments added on top. Our breakdown of Etsy fees covers the US processing rate and the other charges, including Offsite Ads.

Selling AI art

Etsy allows art made with AI tools as "Seller-prompted AI creations", meaning designs generated from your own prompts. Its rules say "Sellers must disclose within their listing description if an item is created with the use of AI", and bundles of AI prompts don't qualify as something you can sell.

In the US, copyright for AI art depends on how much of the work is yours. In its report on AI and copyright, the US Copyright Office concluded that "prompts alone do not provide sufficient human control" for the person writing them to be the author. Your own work can still be protected, such as the changes you make to the output or the way you select and arrange it.

In practice, that means art made from prompts alone may not be protected by copyright in the US. If you sell AI-assisted art from your own checkout, saying so on your page means buyers know what they're paying for. This is a summary of published guidance, not legal advice.

Selling digital art through print on demand

Print-on-demand sites make physical products featuring your art. You upload a design, choose which products it appears on, and when someone orders, the site makes and ships that one item.

Redbubble is one example. It says products are "printed one at a time by third-party producers" and "shipped around the world", and it handles customer support. You don't hold stock or pack orders.

You earn a markup on Redbubble's base price for each product, rather than the full amount the buyer pays. The markup defaults to 10%, and Redbubble then takes an account fee that depends on your account tier:

• Standard accounts: a 50% platform fee on monthly earnings.
• Premium accounts: a 20% platform fee on monthly earnings.
• Pro accounts: no platform fee.

Standard and Premium accounts also pay an excess markup fee on any markup above 20%. Redbubble says the platform fees "will never exceed $150" (or €150 or £150) in a payment period, and they're only charged in periods when you make a sale.

Amazon also sells art this way. It says "You can't sell digital artwork in the Amazon store", but you can sell your art on products through Merch on Demand, its print-on-demand service.

Print on demand can suit you if you'd like your art on mugs, shirts and posters without handling printing or shipping. With Redbubble's default markup of 10% of the base price, you earn a small part of what the buyer pays. You can still sell your files from your own checkout alongside it.

How tax works when you sell digital art

For digital products such as art files, EU and UK VAT is generally charged at the rate that applies in the buyer's country. In the US, whether sales tax applies depends on the state. Some platforms calculate, collect and pay this tax for you, while with others, you're responsible for registering, collecting, reporting and paying it.

A merchant of record is the business that sells to the buyer and takes on those tax duties. Here's who handles it on each route:

• Etsy: collects and pays VAT on digital items for buyers in the EU, the UK and a list of other countries, and US sales tax in the states where it's registered.
• Gumroad: acts as the merchant of record for sales made through its platform.
• Payhip: takes responsibility for EU and UK VAT on digital products, and collects and pays US sales tax as a marketplace facilitator. In Canada it handles GST/HST and PST, but you still deal with Quebec's QST yourself.
• Redbubble: collects VAT or GST on orders in several regions.

ArtStation's fees page doesn't say who handles tax, so it's worth checking its terms before you sell there.

If you sell through your own checkout, you generally remain responsible for your tax obligations as the seller. Checkout Page can calculate and add tax at checkout through Stripe Tax, but you're still responsible for registering, filing returns and paying the tax due where required.

Here's how the routes compare on one $12 sale, such as a pack of illustrations for personal use.

One US card sale at $12, before any monthly plan, refunds or tax. Fees checked on each platform's own pages between 27 and 31 October 2026. Etsy includes the $0.20 listing fee and Etsy Payments; Gumroad, Payhip and Checkout Page include card processing of 2.9% + 30¢. ArtStation doesn't state processing.

Print on demand isn't in the table because you earn a markup on a physical product rather than a share of a $12 file sale.

If buyers don't know your work yet, Etsy and ArtStation can help them find it, though neither guarantees sales. If you already reach people through Instagram, a newsletter or your website, you can sell to them directly from your own checkout and keep their email addresses. Some artists do both.

Our comparison of the best platforms to sell digital products has the longer list.

How to sell digital art from your own checkout

The steps below use Checkout Page, but the process is much the same with other checkout tools. You prepare the files, create a checkout page, set the price, add the files, run a test payment and share the checkout.

Step 1: prepare the files

Export each piece at the size buyers will use it at, such as a high resolution for printing or the screen size for a phone wallpaper. PNG suits art with a transparent background, like stickers and clipart, and JPG or PDF suits printable art.

If you're selling a pack, put the files in a ZIP so buyers download everything at once. Give each file and the ZIP a clear name, such as "botanicals-pack-personal-use.zip", because buyers see your file names when they download.

Add a short license note as a PDF or text file in the pack, so buyers know what they can do with the art.

Step 2: create a checkout page

In your Checkout Page dashboard, create a new checkout page for the art. Give it a clear title and a description that says what's included, the file formats and sizes, and what the license allows.

Buyers can't see the full files before paying, so add preview images. Lower-resolution previews, a watermark or mockups showing the art on a wall or a phone help buyers see what they're getting without giving away the files.

If any of the art was made with AI tools, say so in the description.

Step 3: set the price

Set a one-time price for the art. If you offer more than one license, you can add them as options on the same page, such as personal use and commercial use, so the buyer picks the one they need.

You can do the same for single pieces and packs. A buyer who only wants one wallpaper can buy it, while someone who wants the whole set chooses the pack.

Step 4: add the files

Go to Product → File downloads and upload the files. You can add several files to one product, and the help center recommends keeping each file under 1GB.

With Checkout Page, buyers get their files on the confirmation screen, by email and in the customer portal, where they can download them again later. If you update a file, you can upload the new version and existing buyers can download it from the portal.

Step 5: run a test payment

Switch the page to test mode and buy the art with a test card. Download each file from the confirmation screen and the email, and open them to check the sizes, names and quality.

Once everything works, switch test mode off so the page takes real payments.

Step 6: share the checkout

Publish the page and share the link wherever people already see your art. For example:

• The Instagram or Pinterest post where you show the finished piece
• Your portfolio or website, with the checkout embedded or opened from a button
• The link in your social media bio
• An email to people who have bought from you or follow your work

A short video of the art in use, such as a wallpaper on a phone screen, can help buyers picture it.

How much to charge for digital art

We couldn't find a sourced average price for digital art. Comparing five or six similar pieces on Etsy and ArtStation, including single pieces and packs, can help you gauge what buyers expect to pay.

A single piece is the simplest option. At lower prices, the fixed part of the card fee makes up a larger share of the sale. On a $3 sticker sheet, Stripe's fixed 30 cents is 10% of the sale on its own.

A pack of related pieces, such as a set of illustrations in one style, gives buyers more to use together and earns you more per order.

A commercial license usually costs more than personal use, because the buyer can use the art in things they sell. Offering both as options lets each buyer pay for what they need.

Pay what you want with a minimum can be worth trying when you launch, to see what people are willing to pay, and you can switch to a fixed price later.

How buyers get their digital art

After paying, buyers see a confirmation screen with a download link for each file and receive an email with the same links. On Etsy, Gumroad and Payhip, they download the files from the platform.

With Checkout Page, buyers can also come back to the customer portal later and download the files again. That helps when someone changes phone or loses the file.

If your art is printable, our guide on how to sell printables online covers print sizes and paper formats.

Can buyers share your digital art?

Yes. Anyone who has the file can copy it and pass it on, and no checkout or marketplace can fully stop that.

A license note in the pack sets out what buyers can and can't do, such as using the art for personal projects but not reselling the files. Watermarked previews on your page protect the art before purchase, though not after.

For art made from prompts alone, copyright protection in the US may be limited, as covered in the AI art section above. The Copyright Office's report says your own edits and arrangement can be protected.

What it costs to sell digital art

The platform's cut is only part of the cost. You may also pay payment processing, a monthly plan and, on some sites, a fee to list each item.

• Etsy: $0.20 to list each piece and 6.5% of each sale, with payment processing on top.
• ArtStation: 12% plus 30 cents per item on a free account, or 5% plus 30 cents with ArtStation Pro. Pro sellers also pay a 3% promotion fee when a sale has no referrer, and the fees page doesn't mention payment processing.
• Gumroad: 10% plus 50 cents on direct sales, with card processing on top, and 30% on sales that come through Gumroad Discover, which includes processing.
• Payhip: 5% of each sale on the free plan, 2% on the $29-a-month plan and nothing on the $99-a-month plan, with PayPal or Stripe processing on top.
• Redbubble: a markup on each product instead of a sale price, minus a platform fee of 50%, 20% or nothing depending on your account tier.

Selling from your own checkout means paying the processor directly, which on a US Stripe account is 2.9% plus 30 cents per card payment, though Stripe's fees vary by country and card type.

The savings add up over time. On the $12 pack in the comparison table, you'd keep about $0.94 more per sale through your own checkout than through Etsy, and $1.70 more than with a direct Gumroad sale. At 60 packs a month ($720 in sales, within the free plan), the difference from Gumroad comes to about $100 a month.

Checkout Page is free up to $3K in monthly sales. Paid plans are a monthly price based on your sales volume. Stripe's processing fees apply.

On the free plan, your pages pause once you pass $3K in a 30-day period and reopen when the period resets or you upgrade.

The Stripe fee calculator estimates the processing fees for your own price and volume.

Sell more than digital art

The same checkout account can sell other things to the people who buy your art. For example:

• Commissions, with a deposit taken at checkout and the rest paid when the piece is done
• A membership that gives subscribers a new set of wallpapers or illustrations each month
• Templates made with your art, such as Canva templates or printable planners

If you'd like to try it, you can start selling digital art on the free plan and upgrade once your sales pass $3K a month.

How to sell digital art FAQ

What kind of digital art sells best?

There's no published ranking of which digital art sells best. Common types include printable wall art, phone and desktop wallpapers, PNG stickers and clipart, and illustration packs for other people's designs. Looking at what sells in your style on Etsy and ArtStation, and what your own followers ask for, gives you a better guide than a general list.

How much should you sell digital art for?

There's no published average price for digital art, so compare five or six similar pieces on Etsy and ArtStation before you choose. Packs usually sell for more than single pieces, and a commercial license for more than personal use. At low prices, card fees take a larger share, so a $3 file keeps less than you might expect.

Can you legally sell AI-generated art?

Etsy allows AI art made from your own prompts, as long as the listing says AI was used, though bundles of prompts aren't allowed. Separately, the US Copyright Office says prompts alone don't make you the author, so art made only from prompts may not be protected by copyright. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Where is the best place to sell digital art?

It depends on whether buyers already know your work. Etsy and ArtStation suit artists without an audience, because buyers search there; on a $12 file you'd keep about $10.41 on Etsy. Your own checkout suits artists who already reach buyers through social media or a newsletter, and keeps about $11.35 of the same sale.

Can you sell digital art on Amazon?

No, not as downloads. Amazon's own guidance says "You can't sell digital artwork in the Amazon store." You can sell your art printed on products through Merch on Demand, Amazon's print-on-demand service, and original physical pieces through Amazon Handmade. For downloadable files, Etsy, ArtStation, Gumroad, Payhip or your own checkout are the options.